


Come Fly With Me

by Thecsquirrel



Category: Captain Marvel (2019)
Genre: Carol gets her memory back fic, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Maria backstory, introspective Maria Rambeau
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 03:57:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18792511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thecsquirrel/pseuds/Thecsquirrel
Summary: Maria Rambeau's life is one of order, routine, and best-laid plans...that is until a certain future superhero walks into her life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _-So, looks like I’m just destined to keep toying around with “Carol gets her memories back” fics._   
>  _-The focus here is very much Maria and what she experiences before the crash and after._   
>  _-And yes, like everyone else I completely swooned over Systemflaw’s (@metaldamage) art “Home”, so that squeezed its way into this one shot as well._
> 
> _As always, mistakes are completely mine._

**Part I:**

Maria Rambeau had always led a life full of routine. She was the middle child to two brothers, and the baby girl to parents who never let her want for anything. She could have grown up spoiled and entitled, but the Rambeaus had a way of making it clear that everything had to be earned through hard work, determination, and a good plan. Military regimen filled her life and while her mother had hoped she'd become a teacher, she knew by the gleam in Maria's eye when she fixed engines with her father that she was going to lose another child to call of adventure. Mary-Lynne grumbled and groused, but she was never prouder than when she was smooshed between her uniform-clad children on Baby Benji's graduation from the Naval Academy in 1987. 

Fostered by her father’s tales of Bessie Coleman and the Red Tails, Maria had blazed through high school with her heart set on touching the sky just like her heroes. As the second class of women to enter the USAF Academy, Maria relished the order and the purpose of her endeavor. Spread out among the 40 squadrons, she was one of five Black cadets, and one of three women. At times it was isolating and even depressing, but that was the point. The goal of the first year was to weed out the weak, and Maria knew with great certainty that she would not be among those left behind. She used the chaos and anxiety of her first year to her advantage because she knew it made her a better pilot. She knew that she would put all those whiny white boys with their sneers and not so subtle (or quiet for the matter) snide remarks, to shame. And she did. 

As Maria entered her second year of the academy with new responsibilities and titles, she could see her planned route laid out before her with ease. Now, she wasn’t foolish enough to think that the track would always be smooth, after all, Mary-Lynn and Bishop Rambeau had not raised fools for children. But for all her ability to plan for nearly any outcome, she wasn’t quite ready for the new cadet who swaggered into her room on that early August acceptance day. 

As the only two women in their squadron, Third-class cadet Maria Rambeau got a fresh roommate in a very green Fourth-class named Carol Danvers. Maria had been prepared to give the new kid her practiced hard ass speech about what it meant to be in the 7th squadron and all about the wonders of Cadet life in Cadet Wing. She had been prepared because that was the speech, the routine. It had been given to her and she was going to give it to Danvers. Maria had turned on her heels and stood ramrod straight at attention as the door to the room eased open. Moving with confident steps was all five feet and five inches (she still had one growth spurt left) of Carol Danvers with loose wavy dirty blonde hair in need of a good brushing spilling across her shoulders and wearing a megawatt smile. 

"Nice to meet you, Sarge." She thrust out her hand at the much taller woman. "Looks like you won the Danvers' lottery."

Maria almost managed not to smirk while she extended her hand to meet the freshman's firm handshake. There were no sparks that flew and there was no great swell of violins playing in her head as they touched, however, Maria did let herself smile, seemingly unable to stop herself. In hindsight, she should've known from that brash smile that even her best-laid plans stood no chance against Carol Danvers.

Cadet Carol Danvers was a whirlwind of well-earned confidence, just the right touch of arrogance, mixed with intelligence, and a disarming smile. They fell into friendship easily, bonding in the weight room and on the obstacle course. They pushed each other in all the right ways and provided each other support much to the dismay of the jerk flyboys who seemed to make it their business to attempt to pit the two women against one another. For three years at the academy, despite what appeared to be happenstance and impulse on Carol's part, Maria, ever savvy, managed to weld all that energy to her foresight and together they made a formidable team that ran like a well-oiled machine. Ultimately, their hard work in the classroom and in the sky garnered them attention. Handpicked by Dr. Lawson two days before her graduation, Maria headed to the Pegasus base, and it was no surprise to her when Carol followed a year later upon her own graduation. 

The women rarely fell out of routine. Yes, there were deviations: enter Frank. And a surprise or two: a midnight confession of love followed by bruised knuckles and a busted lip. And finally, the most delightful of surprises in Monica. After that, it was test-flights, jet engines, and babbling with Monica as they gazed up into the desert sky at night like any other family. Nobody asked, and she didn't tell, but everybody knew. And for a lucky while there, Maria settled into a life that made sense until it didn't. 

For ten years, Maria's life was filled the best kind of routine and those years were all filled with Carol. 

But then, the unimaginable happened. It wasn’t that they didn’t know the stakes and it wasn’t that they thought themselves invincible. Perhaps they were just too enamored with what was possible to ever think that fate would be so cruel. 

For a time, Maria experienced a life where every day and every moment with Carol was like racing across the desert in muscle cars too fast to be street legal. Her days with Carol, and then the addition of Monica came with all the excitement of breaking the sound barrier in an F-15. But then Carol was gone. Disappeared into flame, charred tags, and missing black boxes.

During the ensuing six years, the thought of Carol was like a sucking chest wound for Maria. For the little girl they had raised together it was a different story. With bright brown eyes that never failed to remind her of Carol, Monica's eyes sparkled with possibility, with hope. She was too young to not have hope, and Maria never dared to take it away from her. Maria’s baby girl knew Santa Claus wasn’t real but still believed her Auntie Carol was still out there. Maria could only muster a weak smile for her daughter as she packed away what was left of Carol in an attempt to put some order back into her life once more. So, she stowed away the pictures and mementos too precious for even Monica's tiny hands and they built themselves a life in a sleepy Louisiana Parrish twenty minutes from her parents. 

Louisiana was familiarity and routine of a different kind, and it didn't include Carol. Except for when she imagined how the other woman would react to the night sounds from the nearby marsh, or how she would marvel at the night sky if they were to sit together, the three of them, and fight off mosquitoes just to point out constellations. She wondered what Carol would think of her workshop. In those first weeks and months, she would imagine the other woman leaning against the drafting table or relaxing on the grass and just watching. It was what they had done on base sometimes. 

It would be late, and the hangar would be sparse, and Maria would be tinkering with some new design Lawson had given her. Sometimes she was never sure if Lawson really meant for it to work or if she was just testing her, but in the end, Maria never faltered. She would step back to admire her handiwork and find a pair of bright brown eyes staring back at her in awe. 

The banter would always start the same. "Where's your head at girl?" she’d ask with a smile and Carol would just grin like the Cheshire cat. They'd share a conspiratorial look, both knowing that Carol had a lot she wanted to say, but they were still on base, and as safe as the Pegasus hangar often felt, it still wasn't a guarantee. 

Finally, tired of waiting, Carol would stand and ease over towards Maria's work area and sit astride the metal bench. "Come fly with me?” Her tone would be serious, her smile impish. 

Maria would roll her eyes and toss her oily rag onto the tool cart. "Oh yeah, where to?" She loved to play this game too.

On that last night, Carol was filled with unchecked energy dancing in her limbs. "Let's just take the Jet and fly up the coast. We'll be back in no time."

Maria sighed and looked off in thought. "You filing that flight plan, Captain Danvers?"

Carol shrugged a shoulder and bobbed her head. "We'll do it later."

Maria's laugh echoed in the space. "Well, maybe if one of us wasn't flying in the morning." She pointed a finger at the seated woman and watched a pleasant flush fill her cheeks.

"Okay, fine. Then after." She huffed playfully. "It'll be a date." She half-whispered and half-mouthed the words.

Maria's cheeks rose as she smiled. "Then it's a date." She whispered back. 

Less than 16 hours later, Carol would miss that date.  
\--------------

In the six years after the crash, Maria's life was routine and structured. It did nothing to mitigate the pain of losing the love of her life, but it was that semblance of order and Monica's smile that got her out of bed on most mornings. And then the spring of 95' rolled around and with a slightly different swagger, someone who looked and sounded a whole lot like Carol Danvers came back into her life. 

There were fire hands, shapeshifters, and a cat that maybe wasn't a cat and a nearly one-eyed guy named Fury who was just as surprised as she was about everything. Gathered in the rec room with Monica by her side and the woman that looked like Carol, Maria tried hard not to glance at the picture of the two of them that sat on an end table. Monica was sure it was her "Auntie Carol". She felt it and believed it in only the way that an 11-year old who had wished for nothing else would believe. On the other hand, Maria was still fighting what she saw and even what she felt. 

They had stood locked in an embrace out on the lawn only a few hours before, and maybe it was the frogs, but Maria could have sworn she heard the swell of violins in her head. And presently, this not-quite-Carol was asking her to come to space with her, and if it had been her Carol, she would've said, "come fly with me" and Maria wouldn't even have blinked. Instead, it fell to Monica to charm her into a decision with all the logic of a cut-throat prosecutor. Maria avoided the smug smile that the woman across from her wore and instead looked with no amount of small pride down at her daughter (their daughter, she said in her head) and she just shook her head and smiled. As good as Maria was, she was no match for Carol and Monica. Never had been and never would be. Of all the decisions she made that day, that was the one she least regretted.

When Vers, or really Carol or maybe some amalgamation of the two, flew off that first time into the Louisiana night with promises to return, Maria wound up scream-crying with relief and regret into her pillow that night because there was so much she had wanted to say to the other woman. She had held her tongue, but her eyes surely had given away what her words could not: I miss you, I love you, I will never stop loving you, and this is your home. Forever. 

And just when Maria was sure her life would never return to normal, just when she was sure that Carol Danvers had upset the practiced balance of her life once again, it was Carol who settled it once more. 

In those first few fresh weeks after her return and subsequent leaving, Monica was bursting and bubbly with belief and Maria was dazed with possibility. The sound of every low jet or the too long whistle of a bird garnered her attention. Sometimes she'd sit out on the back-porch step with Monica or they'd stay too long in the tree swing and convince themselves they were counting stars when really, they were both looking for Carol. In the beginning, those first months of uncertainty were overshadowed by the knowledge that Carol was alive out there somewhere saving galaxies and setting things right. And thus, it became a routine, even the waiting. 

Nearly a year had gone by before Carol returned for the first time. There were no video calls or messages then (that would come later), only a deep space message that took too many months to cut through the static of S.H.I.E.L.D's satellites, to eventually wind up in a small white envelope dropped off by an eye-patch-wearing Nick Fury who was trying and failing at not trying to smirk. Maria eyed him with skepticism and there was a slight arch to her left eyebrow when she greedily snatched the small missive. From the look on his face, she knew it was from Vers. No, take that back, she knew it was from Carol. Fury watched her run her finger tentatively over the seam of the envelope and the smile he formed was genuine that time. 

He excused himself with a stoic, "Afternoon, Captain." He then turned and left the woman to the privacy of the office she inhabited when she was on base.  


Maria nodded and only stared down into the white square in her palm. The door clicked closed and she sank back into the leather of her high-backed chair. Her heart pounded against her sternum and she finally took a deep breath to steady fingers that shook. She knew it wasn't bad, it couldn't have been bad. Fury, reticent as he was with everyone else was never so tight-light tipped with her or even Monica. He had spent too many dinners at their table when he was at the Baton Rouge base to try and pull off the hard-ass routine with her. They owed each other too much to play those games.

With the edge of her index finger, she lifted the corner of the envelope and peeled it open with all the speed of a snail traversing the highway. She spilled out the contents onto her desk and grinned at the small scrap of printer paper. It was about the size of an index card which didn't surprise her. Besides the fact that Carol had never been one to deliver long-winded declarations of love, Maria knew messages from space were probably best left succinct. Carol was a woman of snappy comebacks and lyrics belted to the high heavens. Maria had never wanted for the purple prose of sappy love letters when what she had was Carol leaning out of the window of her powder blue Mustang with the soft top perpetually down, howling into the desert wind: _"Whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better! We belong, we belong, we belong together!"_

Maria smiled at the memory and then picked up the paper and flipped it over. Her eyes sped across the first line and she didn't even need to read the rest:

> "To my best girls," it read.

Maria let out something that was a mix of a sob and a laugh. This wasn't simply some note from the former confused Kree warrior weapon, this was a note from a former Air Force pilot cum Kree Warrior who was very aware that she was missing the two most important people in her life.

It was something Carol had uttered for the first time after Monica was born. Monica’s birth-father, Frank, hadn't even bothered to come to the hospital even though the invitation had been extended, but Maria had already known the answer. She had followed her heart and made her choice. He had listened to his fears and made his choice. Maybe one day he would realize what he had given up, and when he did, Carol would be there just as she had always been, with a smile that was still smug and a chest full of pride, and her arms full of her family. 

Monica's parents had headed off to get the house ready for their return, leaving them alone for the first time in what felt like days. Carol had leaned over Maria's shoulder watching the woman while she was cradling the swaddled newborn and she pressed soft kisses to Maria's lips and then Monica's little nose. "I love you both," she paused to sneak in more feathery-light kisses. "My best girls." Maria had beamed and pulled Carol in by the collar of her shirt for a proper kiss. 

The memory faded as she sat still at her desk, while the tendrils of excitement rippled out of trembling fingers. She cleared away the happy tears and finished reading the rest of what would be a concise note.

> "To my best girls,  
>  I love you both and I miss you like crazy.  
>  Home soon. "

Maria pulled the note to her chest and hugged it against her body. "Home soon." She said the words out loud and let them echo in her mind. Home. Home. Home. Carol was coming home. Home to her. Home to their family. She remembered.

 

_TBC..._


	2. Chapter 2

** Part II: **

Whether coincidence or good timing, eight months after she had walked into Maria’s backyard, Carol came in hot on a Wednesday morning around 10:30. Monica was off for the day at camp, so only Maria was home to practically trip through the screen door when the high-pitched whistle of an incoming projectile hit her ears. Carol's booted feet dug into the moist earth of the backyard and Maria barely blinked at the deep smoldering divots, because when she uncurled and stood to her full height, there was Carol Danvers, all aglow, standing not more than 100 yards ahead of her. Maria dropped the dish towel she had been holding and leaped down the back steps, running towards the smiling woman like she was the finish line. Reminiscent of her track days, long legs ate up the distance and in near Olympic record time, she felt Carol's warmth all around her as they crashed together for a bruising hug. 

They barely made time for "Hellos" before their embracing turned to the caressing of muscled arms left bare by the sleeveless red shirt Maria wore and the grooving of Maria's steady fingers through Carol's wind-whipped blonde hair. The "I love yous" and "I missed you so much" would come later, but for now their mouths and tongues were otherwise occupied as they reacquainted themselves with the touch and taste of one another. 

Lost in the oblivion that came with the feel of the other woman, Maria didn't even notice when her feet left the ground, for she was already floating from the moment Carol had touched down. Her thong sandals were the first casualties, fluttering to the ground as they rose together in the sky. Bare feet bushed against the leaves at the top of an Oak tree and Maria giggled and then gasped. She glanced down and instinctively clutched at Carol, who's one hand was around her waist while the other cupped her jaw. 

"Woman, if you drop me." Maria's warning was barely full of bite as she felt Carol readjust so that one arm wound around her waist and the other cradled her back. 

Carol touched her forehead to Maria's while they hovered in the sky among the treetops, rising towards the low-lying wispy clouds. 

"I wouldn't dare." Her lopsided grin caused them both to laugh. 

Maria let out a happy sigh. "I can't believe you're here." She closed her eyes in a silent prayer of thanks. 

"I promised LT I'd be back." She waited for Maria to open her eyes once more. "And I don't think I could've stayed away from you any longer." 

Maria met her eyes and they allowed themselves a moment to take stock of one another. Long fingers raked through blonde hair and Carol preened. Maria looked long into the comfort of brown eyes and she saw a Carol there that she had only glimpsed all those months ago. No doubt there were still memories the other woman needed to get back, but as she held her close with strong familiar arms, all Maria knew was that this was what she had dreamed of for so long. 

"I missed you so much." Breathless, she drew her fingers across Carol's cheek. 

Carol's smile was wide and the dimples in her cheeks creased. "And I missed this." She ducked her head to touch her lips to Maria's.  


Maria's fingertips danced around her jaw and trailed down her neck as they kissed. Her touch made Carol’s skin tingle and she deepened the kiss with the flick of her tongue. It was Maria who let out a soft moan which quickly turned to a laugh when Carol spun them in a lazy turn in midair. Maria hazarded a glance below and let her head fall to Carol's shoulder. 

"Um, I don't know if I'm cleared to fly this high Captain Danvers."

Carol glanced down and grinned. "Oops." She winked at Maria when she lifted her head and they both laughed. "Guess, I missed flying with you. Might've gotten a little carried away."

Maria stole a kiss and just watched in wonder while they slowly descended to the backyard. 

Between Maria's bare feet and Carol's boots, they were the same height once their feet finally touched the ground.

"Hey, you." Maria brushed blonde hair back away from Carol's forehead, so she could look at her once more. She squeezed the other woman's shoulders through the material of her suit and took a breath. Carol's arms were still looped around her waist leaving them standing loosely embraced in the backyard. Her voice was raspy with emotion, bordering on dubious. "You're really here aren't you?"

Carol nodded, she too, overwhelmed by the sensation of having the Maria from her dreams in her arms. Even before she understood and knew who Maria was, before she could put a name or even a face to the memory of soft full lips, and rich dark brown skin that had entwined with her own skin in her dreamscapes, Carol had ached for Maria and reached out for her in need of safety and comfort. 

Her initial return had given her a legend to the torn and undecipherable map of her mind. And with the help of Talos and the Skrull's technology, Carol had unearthed many of the mysteries that existed before the crash. Chief among her finds was her rediscovery of Maria, Monica, and the family she had lost. It was her new knowledge and her desire to tell Maria all she now knew that sent her headed in the direction of the Milky Way five days prior. 

With a slight catch in her voice, Carol responded to Maria’s question. "I'm really here." She pulled Maria close to her so that there was no sliver of light between them. "With you," she added after a beat. "I'm sorry it took so long." She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. 

Maria caressed the other woman's face with reverence. She let her thumbs move over cheekbones, down the bridge of her nose, and across moist lips. “You know, that's one of the things I love about you." She stopped deliberately, letting the words wash over them both. "You and I both know that sometimes if you're going to do a thing right, then you need to take your time." There was a curl of innuendo that punctuated the consonants of her last three words.

Carol's upper lip twitched, and she squeezed Maria's hips in response. She squinted her eyes, pretending to be deep in thought. "If I remember correctly, I believe you like it very much when I take my time." 

A slow smile spread across Maria's face and she plucked Carol's shoulder before falling into a soft chuckle. "Yeah, you’re back."

Carol laughed with her and they kissed once more after they finally settled. "There are a few holes here and there, but I promise you, that all of the important stuff is back." Her smile was triumphant. She took a step back and let go of Maria's waist so that she could take her hands in hers. 

"I remember meeting you for the first time, and I remember Monica being born, and I remember what it felt like the first time I flew a plane. I remember how proud you were when I got my bars and how much I wanted to punch Frank in the throat after he left." She rolled her eyes. "By the way, did I ever end up doing that?"

Maria smirked. "I don't want to ruin the reveal for you." She winked, and Carol just chuckled.

She squared her shoulders and sobered. "I also remember the things I never got to say to you or ask you." She met Maria's eyes and felt the other woman grow rigid.

Maria let go of a soft gasp as her mind immediately flashed to the memory of the velvet box that was locked away in the fireproof safe in the attic along with birth certificates and wills. Two weeks after Carol was declared dead, Maria with her baby brother in tow had begun the harrowing task of packing up the three-bedroom Rancher that they had called home for those six years in the California desert. 

Maria had buried the memory of the small box that she had found shoved all the way to the back of the second drawer where Carol kept her most important t-shirts. Maria had snatched her hand back like she had been bitten by a scorpion when her fingertips brushed the soft material. She then yanked out the drawer, sending the shirts flying every which way and watched with wide eyes as the little black velvet box tumbled into her lap. 

The sound that poured forth when Maria opened it sent Benji running from the driveway at full speed. He found his sister wailing on her knees with the contents of the drawer spilled out around her. Brown eyes like his sister’s tracked down to the black velvet box in her hand and his heart broke for her for the second time. 

One day he hoped he be able to tell her that he had helped Carol pick out the rings in the box, there were three: two gold bands and one emerald cut solitaire engagement ring. In a different time, it was going to be a hilarious story about how he and Carol had driven to San Francisco and visited a few jewelers posing as a future husband and his future wife's best friend. The jeweler they ended up getting the rings from called their bluff after about two minutes because as he had said, "And old Queen is not an old fool." They spent the next two hours sipping champagne, listening to Carol gush over Maria, and deciding on a ring. As Benji cradled his older sister that day where she sat on floor amidst the things of a dead woman, he knew he might never get to tell that story. 

The sound of Carol's voice brought Maria back to the present. "Where's your head at?"

Maria smiled and squeezed Carol's hand to assure her that she was still all there. "Hey now, no stealing my line."

Carol grinned. "You seemed somewhere else for a moment and I, uh, I want to talk you about something." Her smile was nervous and she bounced on her toes. "I mean I want to talk to you about a lot of stuff really. There's just so much to-

Maria cut off Carol's rambling with a finger pressed to her lips. "And we'll talk. I promise." She took a deep breath once the other woman nodded in understanding. "How about we get you into a change of clothes and maybe some lunch." 

Carol's eyes went wide at the prospect of a hot shower and some food. Traveling at speeds upwards of Mach 25 had left her famished. "Oh man, I could so go for some gumbo." She let out a dramatic groan.

"Well, how about we pick up Monica from camp in a couple of hours and then we can get gumbo and you can ask all the questions you want." Maria started towards the steps but noticed that Carol had not moved with her. She stood at the top of the step and watched as a frisson of frustration passed over Carol's face. 

Carol twisted her mouth up in a slight pout and looked up at the woman on the stairs. She could feel Maria's anxiety and in truth, she didn't blame the woman. Six years and nearly the better part of a year, Maria had been left in a place of stasis. The only difference was that she had all her memories, and now Carol's were all rushing back to her in bits and pieces and sometimes long reels of memories which she wanted to blurt out. She had reached supersonic speeds as she tore across galaxies and jump-points desperate to make it back to the life that was no longer just a gauzy dream or a distant echo. The warmth she had felt when Maria had held her again for the first time was because her body remembered her, even if her mind had yet to catch up. Patience had never been a trait of Carol Danvers and with her heart on the line, she was in no mood to start trying patience now.

She blinked up at the taller woman and fixed her eyes on her. "Maria, wait." She took a deep breath. "It's just that there are things I need to say to you. Things I've wanted to say for a very long time and I don't want to miss the chance. Again."

With a tilt of her head, Maria grinned and then held out her hand. "Good Lord, girl, you are still the most impatient person on the planet. C'mere."  


Carol smirked. "I believe that's across galaxies now." She walked towards the stairs and laced their fingers together, taking Maria's hand in hers. Carol had to bend her head back as Maria now towered over her from the top step.

Maria ran the fingers of her free hand through Carol's hair and let those same fingers drift along the other woman's jawline and then finally down the column of her throat. She wrapped her hand around the nape of Carol's neck and pulled her in for a slow kiss that started soft and sweet only to end with the delicious sting of a lip bite, rendering Carol near-breathless. Maria pulled back wearing a smug smile of her own as she admired her ability to still leave Carol speechless. 

Slowly, bright brown eyes opened and met the warm brown of Maria's eyes. Carol couldn't help but chuckle at herself as she realized what Maria had done. It was what she had always done, even back in those early years as cadets when Carol's crush was so obvious a person could see it from space. She was always so eager to show off, making sure the flyboys knew she could take them on, and making sure Maria knew she had her back. Carol ran on passion and impulse which made her a fearless pilot and sometimes a reckless leader.

Maria had always known Carol’s fearlessness would make her a legend, but she also knew that her reckless streak was going to get her in the kind of trouble that she wouldn’t be able to walk away from with a snappy one-liner and a smile. Whenever Carol's impulses and temper got the better of her, Maria wouldn't ever tell her no, but she would make her pause for a moment to take a few breaths or check for the nearest exit, or even make sure they knew the clearest path to safety. Whatever the moment called for, Maria could always pull on the right string to give Carol a moment to consider her actions. 

Carol’s lips curved into a sheepish grin. "How do you always manage to do that?"

Maria looked down at her and shrugged a shoulder. " ’Cause I know you."

"Even the new me?" Her voice faltered a bit.

Maria tugged her up the stairs and onto the porch. "Surprisingly, new you is a lot like the old you, just with some special features." She kissed Carol's cheek and then guided her into the house through the back room with her hands on her shoulders. They made it into the kitchen and Maria stopped to pour two glasses of water. 

She watched the superhero gulp down the glass of cool water in one go. Maria raised her eyebrows and grabbed the pitcher. "Thirsty?"

Carol responded with an exuberant "Ahh," and then proceeded to drink down her second glass. "Parched."

"I'll say." Maria put the pitcher on the counter and pushed it towards Carol. "So, look, I want to talk to you, too." She tapped her fingers against the countertop and then drank from her own glass of water. "We've got a lot to process if I'm honest." She watched as Carol's shoulders drooped and her eyes darted about. "Hey," Maria reached out and grabbed a hold of Carol's hand on the counter. "Look at me." She waited for Carol to look up.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, she saw fear in Carol's eyes and not the ever-present glint of determination that seemed to emanate from dark irises. She knew what Carol was asking and she knew what her answer would be, even if it didn't make one bit of sense. Maria couldn't exactly answer how they were going manage a life that spanned galaxies, but for once she gave in to the impulses that normally lead Carol. Her eyes flashed with understanding and she quirked the corner of her mouth up in a smile. "You do know my answer is yes, right?"

It took a whole second for the words to register to Carol. Maria reflexively stood up straight from where she leaned against the counter and watched a burst of primary colors ripple up and out from Carol's suit and halo around her head. 

Maria's eyes were as wide as her smile. Carol Danvers had always been a sight to behold, but now she came with her own celestial lighting. Carol started to rush towards her, but Maria was quick to hold up a hand, stopping the woman in her tracks. Her brow furrowed in confusion. 

"Hang on fire hands," she joked. "I want you, well us, to talk to Monica first." Carol's momentary confusion melted away into her signature self-assured smile. She took a step towards Maria and Maria stepped back, determined to finish her thoughts in spite of Carol's obvious excitement. "A-and we have stuff we really have to figure out, okay?" Maria took another step back and realized too late that she was caught between the sink and Carol. The fridge to her left cut off her escape and Carol's arm stretched out to the counter trapped her from the right. Maria leaned back against the counter and realized that there were far worse places to be trapped than flush against Carol's radiating heat. 

Noses knocked gently against one another and lips drew as close as they could without touching. Carol was filling up every atom of space that she could, surrounding Maria. "Are you really going to make me wait?" She asked the question against the other woman's lips and the sensation sent a vibration up Maria's spine.

Maria circled her arms around Carol's shoulders and closed the scant distance between their lips. Her body shuddered with excitement, its response to the way Carol took control of the kiss and her for that matter. Warm hands traveled up the back of her shirt only to retreat down to free the material of her tucked shirt. They stayed locked in a kiss while Carol ripped her gloves from her hands and touched her bare hands to the smooth expanse of Maria's back. 

Maria pulled away from Carol's wet mouth with a whimper followed by a sharp intake of breath. She certainly hadn't considered herself touch-starved, but the feeling of Carol's hands - the mix of familiar and new callouses, the pressure of her fingertips, the warmth of her palms - had Maria near the verge of collapsing and crying. She tried to swallow the hitch in her throat, but the sight of Carol's kiss-swollen lips and flushed cheeks were visible reminders of how much she had lost and just how much she now had the improbable chance of getting back.

Heady with arousal, Carol's smirk faded a bit as she watched the swirl of emotions play across Maria's brown skin. The moment she realized what was happening, she cupped Maria's cheeks and touched their foreheads together. "It's okay, baby," she soothed. "We’re okay. I’m home now." She kissed away the teardrops and found herself in one of Maria's strong hugs. 

Maria breathed in Carol. They stood in the kitchen holding tight to one another. Happy and grateful tears slipped past the collar of Carol's suit and she nuzzled harder into Maria's neck in response. She knew Maria's tears were a release of her grief, but also, they were a release of her elation. It was the same elation and excitement that had fueled Carol as she sped home weeks ago from the other side of the universe, blazing through star systems and galaxies with a clear goal -- getting home to her family, getting home to Maria. 

With a gulp of air, Maria lifted her head and loosened her arms, but still left them around Carol's neck. "Sorry for the sucky reunion."  
With a laugh, Carol swiped at her own tears before thumbing away the tear tracks on Maria's cheeks. "Are you kidding?! This is perfect." She pulled a laugh from the other woman. "See, some laughs, some tears, and the prospect of getting me out of this suit is still on the horizon." She accented her words with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Maria's laugh rumbled through both their bodies easing the tension. “We probably should get you out of that suit."

"Now we’re talking." Carol's cheesy grin made them both laugh. She made a move to step out of Maria's arms only to be stopped by the soft look from the other woman. "What is it?'

Maria cleared away the last of her tears. "I just- " She started and then stopped to draw in a breath. "You really are back?" 

The fear in Maria’s voice edged her words. Carol was nodding before she spoke. "Yup, I really am."

"For how long?" She held her breath.

The tension in Maria’s jaw was evident while she waited for Carol to answer. Immediately she responded, "for a while." Maria released her breath and Carol saw the taut muscles in her shoulders relax.

Carol gently ran her hands down Maria’s sides and let her hands rest on the swell of her hips. "The Skrulls are safe for now, but there’s so much work to be done out there.” She grins and Maria nods in understanding. “I'll have to go back from time to time but know that I will always come home to you and Monica if you'll have me." Maria's mouth curved into a smile and Carol leaned in to kiss the corner of her mouth. "And hey, maybe you can come with me. I am always at my best when you’re on my six."

Maria rolled her eyes at the compliment and tried to act like it didn’t release a torrent of butterflies in her stomach. And it certainly was a thought. Maria allowed herself to wonder at the possibility of flying with Carol in zero gravity again. It was an intriguing idea. She grinned and then let out a soft sigh. She pushed a wavy lock of blonde hair behind Carol’s ear. "How about we put a pin in that conversation. Monica's not even in high school yet. But it’s definitely a thought."

Carol's eyes opened wide. "High school? Oh, wow. Like a teenage Monica?" 

Maria could only chuckle at the concern that suddenly flashed across Carol's face. "Yep. That's what you're signing on for Captain. You think you can handle that?" Maria's tone was teasing but as she made steady eye contact with Carol they both knew these were the logistics they needed to talk about.

Carol relaxed her features and stood up straight, still holding Maria's gaze. "I know I've missed a lot and I might miss a little more, but Maria, I want to do this with you. So, yeah, I can handle it."

The kiss Maria planted on her was evidence enough that Carol’s answer had been the right one. 

Brown eyes were glazed over with want as Maria finally pulled back in need of air and want to move somewhere else with a lot more room and preferably a bed. She pulled Carol by her belt loop and spun her towards the stairs. 

"You know, I never got a rundown on all the cool specs for this suit. Feel like I need the tour." She walked her fingers across Carol's shoulders as she passed her by and headed for the stairs. 

There was nothing shy about Maria's smile as she touched her hand to the banister and made the turn to head up. She caught the sly smile Carol wore and the evident heat in her eyes, and it made the tiny hairs on her arms stand up in anticipation.

"For starters," Carol began as she met Maria on the stairs. "It unzips in the front." She didn't miss a beat, purposely brushing against the slack-jawed woman as she moved up the stairs and down the hallway towards Maria's bedroom.

Maria caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she openly admired how the armored uniform clung to Carol’s form. She let Carol’s “for a while” replay in her thoughts as she made her way up the stairs. The sound of the water from the shower head hitting the tub reached her ears, and full lips curved up into a smile, upon reaching the open door of her bedroom. 

Carol was leaning against the doorway of the bathroom, fingers teasing at the newly exposed flesh of her collarbones. She winked at Maria when she saw the other woman’s nostrils flare.

Dark brown eyes darted between the phone, her watch, and the sight of Carol only a few steps away. Maria pointed at Carol.

“Don’t you move another finger.” It was an order that Carol was only too happy to comply with. Maria winked and then glanced at the phone on the bedside stand. “I’ve gotta' call my Mom and ask her to pick up Monica.” Carol’s smile was so large she had to close her eyes. Maria smirked. “I’m serious, don’t you move.” She playfully narrowed her eyes and waited until the other woman stood up straight and stood at attention with her hands crossed at the wrist behind her back.

Maria’s mouth dropped open at a sight she had long ago locked away in her memory. Carol’s smooth “Yes, ma’am” made her fumble the phone as she started dialing without looking. 

She got her breathing under control and kept her eyes on Carol even as the phone call connected.

“Hi, Momma. I need a favor…”

 

_Fade out._


End file.
